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Medical students have had a glimpse into the possible future of education at a trial of 3D holographic projection technology carried out to examine its effect as a learning tool.

3D animations of human anatomy and physiology were beamed into a lecture hall for a series of medical lectures at St George’s, University of London. The students’ feedback is now being studied to investigate whether the technology – which does not require 3D glasses to view – aided their understanding of complex topics.

A programme helping patients to manage their own chronic knee pain, based at Kingston University and St George’s, University of London, has been hailed as a national example of good healthcare practice.

The project demonstrates how group physiotherapy can achieve as effective results as single-patient sessions in equipping patients to self manage chronic knee pain, for around half the cost. Following a successful trial at Sevenoaks Hospital, the scheme has been singled out as a case study by the government’s National Institute of Health and Clinical Excellence Quality (NICE).

St George’s, University of London in Tooting is hosting a free public event on 2 July 2013 to showcase new research on linguistics and explore possible personality traits of world leaders past and present.

St George’s, University of London’s Professor George Griffin has been appointed one of four new non-executive members of Public Health England’s (PHE) Advisory Board.

Professor Griffin joins another three new members on the seven-strong board of PHE, a new government organisation set up as the voice and expert service provider for national health. He was appointed by Jeremy Hunt, secretary of state for health.

The Faculty of Health, Social Care and Education has received top marks from the NHS for the high quality of training it provides for nurses, midwives and allied health professionals.

NHS Health Education South London has rated the Faculty, run by Kingston University and St George’s, University of London, top in the capital for children’s nursing and diagnostic radiography in its latest contract performance management league tables. Adult nursing and physiotherapy also perform highly – ranked second in their respective categories – while therapeutic radiography is in third spot. Learning disability nursing and midwifery are each placed fourth.

St George’s researchers have joined a new research consortium aiming to investigate the link between tuberculosis and diabetes, to develop better treatments for both diseases.

The TANDEM project – which is coordinated by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine – is a four-year collaborative research and innovation scheme that will provide new evidence on the links between diabetes and TB. This should lead to better strategies to control both diseases and improve patient care.

Malaria parasites that develop resistance to the most effective class of anti-malarial drugs may become susceptible to other treatments as a result. The discovery could reveal potential new drug options, which would be essential in the event of resistance to the best anti-malarials.

In a new study, researchers have shown how the anti-malarials artemisinins attack the malaria parasite by inhibiting the action of a crucial protein, and that genetic mutations in this protein can reduce the effect of the drugs. While demonstrating this, however, they also discovered that a mutation that gives the parasite resistance to artemisinins makes it more sensitive to attack by another substance, cyclopiazonic acid (CPA). CPA is thought to be too toxic to be a suitable anti-malarial treatment, but the findings suggest it could be worth pursuing derivatives of the acid as treatment options.

An expert in evaluating the impact of research on healthcare policy and practice has joined Kingston University and St George’s, University of London.

Dr Annette Boaz has been appointed as a reader in healthcare research at the Faculty of Health, Social Care and Education, run jointly by Kingston and St George’s. She has joined from King’s College London.

Patients with the most severe and dangerous form of chronic anorexia are more likely to make a significant improvement towards recovery and stay in therapy if traditional psychological treatments are re-focused from weight gain to quality of life issues.

By focusing treatment on quality of life, researchers found that 85 per cent of participants with severe and enduring anorexia nervosa (SE-AN) completed their course of treatment – almost three times the usual retention rate. These findings are the first to show that people with SE-AN can be treated with an outpatient treatment programme.

Professor Hubert Lacey, the London lead for the study, from St George’s, University of London said:

“Anorexia nervosa has the highest mortality rate of any psychiatric disorder, and patients with SE-AN are notoriously difficult to treat. Most sufferers have been through multiple unsuccessful treatment episodes. Repeated failure leaves them with low motivation and a self-image dominated by illness. After prolonged periods of malnourishment, many sufferers are disabled, unable to hold down a job and have neurocognitive, cardiac or liver problems as well as osteoporosis.”

Study participants also reported improved quality of life, reduced symptoms of mood disorders and enhanced social adjustment. While weight targets were considered a secondary outcome of the study, most participants gained weight and none lost weight during the study period.

Professor Lacey said:

“These findings challenge the view of some NHS services that individuals with an enduring course of anorexia have little or no motivation to change or are unlikely to respond to conventional psychosocial treatment.”

The randomised controlled trial – by researchers from St George’s, University of London, the University of Sydney and the University of Chicago – was published online by the journal Psychological Medicine this month (May 2013).

“Our goal was to peel back the negative impact of anorexia and to shift the traditional pressure to gain weight to an emphasis on improving quality of life and overall functioning. By refocusing the core of treatment, we were able to engage highly resistant individuals with severe and enduring anorexia nervosa in treatment, circumvent the notoriously high dropout rates and help them make their lives a little better.”

The study involved 63 patients, all women, at two clinical centres – one at St George’s, University of London and the other at the University of Sydney. The average body mass index (BMI) of study participants was 16.2, with a minimum weight of BMI 11.8. All participants had suffered from SE-AN for at least seven years, with an average duration of illness for more than 15 years.

Thirty-one patients were assigned to CBT and 32 to SSCM. Both treatments involved 30 outpatient therapy sessions over eight months. Patients were assessed at the end of treatment, with follow-up assessments six and 12 months later.

Results from both treatments were comparable, with the researchers describing improvements ranging from “moderate” to “large” on measures assessed. CBT had a greater impact on eating-disorder symptoms and readiness to change. SSCM produced larger improvements in health-related quality of life and depression. The average BMI of participants also increased, from 16.2 to 16.8, about four per cent.

“The results were far better than most people in the field would have expected,” said Professor Daniel Le Grange from the University of Chicago, who led the study’s data analysis. “Many of these patients were profoundly ill. The prevailing wisdom is that current treatments have not been effective and patients are best served by refeeding in the hospital setting. This study showed that specific modification of these behavioural approaches could overcome the high dropout rates and lead to meaningful positive change.”

The researchers explain that limitations of the study include a moderate sample group and a relatively short follow-up period of 12 months but the St George's and Sydney research teams are now following up the patients for five years.

Professor Lacey said:

“Despite these limitations, the high retention rate and the magnitude of improvement in most of the outcome measures were very encouraging, especially in the setting of a disorder with poor compliance and limited previous clinical success.”

Student researchers from across Europe will come to St George’s, University of London this month to present their work at its annual International Student Research Conference.

The conference on Saturday 25 May is organised by the St George’s Undergraduate and Postgraduate Research and Academic Society (SUPRA), and aims to give students a taste of a professional research conference. This is SUPRA’s third conference and the second time it has invited international students to attend.